Hank William Miller

On Monday I got a text message from our sitter that Hank was acting strangely. Unfortunately, I needed no more information than that because I was already aware than Hank’s neck and back were sore. That morning he seemed stiff and lethargic, and even though he’s been on constant pain medication for months now, the bone spurs in his spine are still there and probably growing.

That afternoon when I got home, I went straightaway to check on Hank, who was laying on his bed in my bedroom. As soon as I touched him, he let out the same horrible cries as he did three years ago when he was first diagnosed. It’s unbearable to hear my dog yelp in pain, especially when I can’t touch him to give him comfort. I gave him an extra dose of his pain medication and scheduled an appointment with the vet for Tuesday.

Sure enough, I got the “your dog is getting older, so it’s just going to get worse” speech. At nearly 10 years old, Hank is a senior citizen by dog standards and his old bones are starting to weaken. The doctor suggested that we’re probably dealing with arthritis on top of the bone spurs, so I can’t imagine what that must feel like for him. We changed his medication to something stronger and then she gave me an additional bottle of narcotics for when he’s “really bad.”

For fear of weeping all over my keyboard, I will leave you with this simple fact: Hank has been the best dog an owner could wish for. Not only was he a sweet addition to this family, lovable and friendly, but he allowed both boys to bond with him. I don’t know how much longer we’ll have him, even though the vet just had to say, “12 years is average, so…”

So yeah.  I hope the new medicine works well.

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